SANTA CLARITA, Calif. –- It was a dangerous script to write, but it made for dramatic finishes – until tonight when unranked and unheralded The Master's College stole the pen and re-wrote its own finish.
For the third straight game the NAIA's No. 3-ranked Azusa Pacific fell into an early hole, but this time the Cougars could not climb out as the had they previous 2 games, and as a result, The Master's upset Azusa Pacific, 79-70, Tuesday night in Bross Gym.
Just how big of an upset is this result? It marks only the second time in the past 8 seasons that Azusa Pacific has lost to a team with a losing record. More importantly, though, the loss snaps Azusa Pacific's 12-game winning streak and drops the Cougars back into a tie for the GSAC lead, now sharing the top spot with Concordia and San Diego Christian.
The Master's relied on long range shooting and the superb play of its bench to build a 9-point halftime lead and then held several double-digit advantages in the second half, withstanding each Cougar run, including a 12-2 blitz with less than 6 minutes to go when Azusa Pacific rallied from 13 down and missed what would have been a game-tying trey with just over 3 minutes to play. Instead, the Mustangs snared the rebound, and Kalief Washington answered with a high-arching jumper in the key that gave TMC breathing room at 68-63. From there, the Mustangs converted free throws and grabbed rebounds to hold on for its first victory in the past 5 tries vs. Azusa Pacific.
Reserve Josh Herman was the improbable hero for the Mustangs. The freshman guard scored a team- and career-high 17 points, nailing 5 treys, including 3 straight in the final 2 minutes of the first half. He banked home a desperation 30-footer at the buzzer to give the Mustangs a surprising 37-28 advantage at the break.
The Cougars got what they wanted when Lucian Pesoli, the Mustang's leading scorer (18.8 avg.) was slapped with his third foul midway through the first half, sending him to the bench for the rest of the half and 8 minutes into the second half. However, the Mustang reserves were unfazed and unafraid, moving and attacking with relentless energy. Sophomore center Mat Sowa, who had registered just 16 points in 16 games coming into the contest, tallied a career-high 11 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. He led a Mustang crew that hammered Azusa Pacific on the offensive glass, recording 17 offensive caroms against the GSAC's leading rebounding team.
Azusa Pacific was paced by Scott Zea's career-high 28 points, his third-straight 20-point outing. He led a Cougar comeback from a 64-51 deficit with 6:35 to play. His conventional 3-point play got the Cougars to within 6, and when Todd Martin followed with a 3-point basket from the top of the key, the Cougars were back within 3 at 66-63 with 3:36 to play. The Cougars forced another Mustang stop, but Zea was unable to drain a potential game-tying trey from the top of the key that would have tied the game and the Mustangs held on for the victory.
The Cougars, who came into the game averaging a GSAC-leading 91 points a game, shot a season-low 37-percent (23-for-63) from the floor. Other than Zea, the Cougar starters were a combined 4-for-20. Martin was the only other Cougar in double figures, finishing with 12 points.
For the second straight year Azusa Pacific has opened a season by winning 16 of its first 17 games only to lose game 18. The Cougars fall to 16-2 overall and 6-2 in the GSAC. The Master's improves to 7-10 overall, 3-5 in the GSAC.
